Dinner with Bon 8/23/11

So, I had Bon over for dinner tonight as I have done a lot recently! I haven’t posted anything due to lack of motivation perhaps as well as lack of time. Tonight is different! I found this DELISH recipe on another website – http://garlicster.blogspot.com – This person loves garlic! I made a few modifications and figured I would go ahead and repost this – the final dish has just so much flavour and is just simply yummy and healthy!

Spinach and Sundried Tomato (insert pasta of choice here)

  • 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 2 cups of fresh plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 5 ounces of sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped – remove most oil
  • A pinch of granulated garlic
  • 1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1 cup of fresh basil
  • 1 bag of fresh spinach
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • My pasta of choice – Bucatini  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucatini

Add the garlic to a pan with a generous amount of olive oil on medium heat and cook until soft.  Add the fresh tomato, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and the granulated garlic. Saute for a few minutes.  Add sundried tomatoes and olives. Let this cook gently over a low heat while you cook your pasta.

Cook your pasta of choice to barely al dente (read the package directions).

When the pasta is al dente add it to the sauce  with the spinach and the basil. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and leave for a couple of minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a nice glass of red wine!

My choice of wine for tonight was a 2008 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo  which was simply perfect for this.  Thank you Bon for bringing the wine!  This dish has a sharp flavour from the olives and sundried tomatoes with a small amount of heat from the red pepper flakes. The spinach and basil were subtle flavours and it all worked very well with this wine.

The only thing differently that I would like to do is to use organic tomatoes for this dish for additional flavour.

Bon and I discussed the addition of chicken for the meat lovers out there and she had a good idea of perhaps some chicken sausage with Italian spices cooked separately, drained and added to the dish after it has been plated.

It was enjoyed, and plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow!